Since 1980 we've supported over 200 land acquisitions – find out more about why they’re important and where you can see them.
For over 45 years we've been funding outstanding heritage that’s at risk, including saving significant land and nature across the UK. Our grants brought some of these sites out of private ownership, allowing or extending public access. Today you can visit them to enjoy the scenery, wildlife and everything else they have to offer.
Follow our virtual nature trail across the UK
Islands of Canna and Sanday
What: two tidal islands famous for their dramatic coastal scenery, archaeological sites and 20,000 breeding seabirds including puffins, guillemots and razorbills. Our £335,000 grant in 1981 supported the acquisition and endowment of the islands from previous owners, Gaelic scholars Dr John Lorne Campbell and Dr Margaret Fay Shaw. National Trust for Scotland was gifted Dr Campbell’s library, archive of papers, 1,700 sound recordings and collections of moths and butterflies. Canna House was part of the purchase made by our grant for the safekeeping of the collections and to ensure public access. Dr Campbell entrusted ownership to the Trust to maintain the islands and preserve this traditional Hebridean community.
Where: The most westerly of the Small Isles in the Scottish Inner Hebrides.
Chatelherault Country Park
What: a 138-acre deer park associated with a grand hunting lodge, named Chatelherault, built in 1730 to the design of William Adam for the 5th Duke of Hamilton. Our £40,000 funding in 1983 allowed the land to be bought by South Lanarkshire District Council, so its historic features could be restored. The whole site is now a public park. Walking routes, a café, playpark, shop, visitor centre and wildlife including roe deer, otters, woodland birds and badgers are all part of this five-star visitor attraction.
Where: Ferniegair, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, ML3 7UE.
Islay-Aorach, Grainal and Eresail Flats
What: 1,293 acres of the northern part of the Isle of Islay, part of Loch Gruinart Reserve. Our £50,000 grant supported RSPB to acquire this land in 1983, preventing reforestation, which would endanger the bird populations. Barnacle geese and white-fronted geese (both protected under European Law as amber rated Species of Conservation Concern) arrive each winter from Greenland in their thousands to feed on the moorland. Visitors can follow two signposted trails to see the reserves’ unique wildlife, which also includes golden eagles, butterflies, seals, corncrakes, hares, hen harriers, roe deer, otters and lapwings.
Where: Islay is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland.
Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons)
What: Between 1983 and 1988 we awarded £78,000 to Powys County Council to buy 22,800 acres of land including Fforest Fawr (Great Forest) and the Black Mountain. Fforest Fawr was designated a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2015 due to its internationally significant geological heritage. Its 300 square miles include mountain, moorland, woods and meadows, towns, villages, rivers and lakes. Visitors can enjoy the site in many different ways including walking, cycling, caving, climbing or horse riding.
Where: Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, South Wales.
Ashdown Forest
What: The forest is one of the most celebrated landscapes in East Sussex, famous as the inspiration for A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh stories. It’s home to some of Europe’s most threatened species, including rare birds the nightjar and Dartford Warbler, the silver-studded blue butterfly, adders and the hazel dormouse. Our £375,000 grant allowed East Sussex County Council to acquire the freehold and manorial rights (right of the lord of the manor) in 1988, after a public campaign to save it from commercial development. Its 2,590 hectares of heath and woodland make it the largest public space in the southeast of England.
Where: Wych Cross, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JP.
Abernethy Forest
What: Our grants, totalling £850,000 and awarded between 1985 and 1990, supported RSPB to acquire Tore Hill, Forest Lodge Estate and North Abernethy Forest, and join the Loch Garten section of the reserve to the Forest Lodge, forming a combined landscape of 12,447 hectares. This makes it the RSPB's second largest reserve in the UK. It's a site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Protection Area and Special Area of Conservation thanks to its rare Caledonian pinewood, exotic conifer woodland and wildlife including Scottish crossbills, osprey, crested tits, otters and pine martens.
Where: Forest Lodge, Nethy Bridge, Highland, PH25 3EF.
These places are just some of the many natural heritage sites we've funded over our 45 years. The most recent was Bass Rock and Craigleith in the Firth of Forth in Scotland. We supported RSPB to take the islands into charitable ownership for the first time in 320 years.
Discover more about the different types of heritage we save across the UK.